Out in the Mountains anidtLetters We'encoUrag'é anvdtmploregour read- ersio do whattnéy‘1¢angt6“maRé;‘oITM a pape_ r both’ for ari_d_by' gay,’ lé'sbiari,* and b‘ise_xual Ve_rmonters. Plejaséas-v si,$f‘ UfS'j7.1by : tvpifiti ”Y"<"?Uf %=irti¢_!eSt"*2ir1d Iétteréidovuble-spacedE and j'in‘jeIVuding‘ bVy:o’ur_nam"e' and Prlfiiihe n'umber’ir’i case w_e__ha\/eany‘questions?Yéursubmtsg Sibfi SfiO_9'd b.9199 V9d7bY30lTMfh.O H . th.'_9f’7t’ 0l_."tHé PreVi<5US month Tharilfi‘/ou oft h'elping'out'! = ‘ Holding Forth for Truth by Hugh Coyle It wasn't until I was sitting there in Burlington's Universalist Unitarian Church caught up in Rita Mae Brown's talk about language being "a contract of truth between and among people" that I began to understand a few more of the reasons why being gay is such a wonderful thing and why we need to continue to voice that feeling to the rest of the world. First of all, it feels great to be honest about innermost feelings with friends who really care and understand. That may be a new sensation for someone who hasn't spent much time in the gay community, and I hope it's an effective sales pitch for any- one who is "out" but not "in" the commu- nity to consider becoming a member. The conversations I've had with fellow gays and lesbians just over the past two weeks has done more to further affirm and validate my own sense of self than any amount of time spent on the psychoanalyst's couch could ever achieve. Secondly, Rita Mae helped me appre- ciate the qualities Howdy Russell brought to his campaign for State Senate even more. It is rare that anyone running for political office can so successfully and honestly translate his or her personal experiences and feelings into a believable and workable platform. Howdy has shown that we can maintain our true voices as gay and lesbian people even within the world of politics, where untrustworthy rhetorical strategies are often favored over candid expression. Thirdly, her words restored my faith in my own experiences, and in my ability to tell of those experiences in my own writing and speaking. This "contract of truth" of which Rita Mae spoke is not only some- thing to be initiated with others; it is a pact DESKTOP PUBLISHTNG STUDIO TYPE 8: DESIGN/WORKSHOPS/SELF-SERVICE we must make with ourselves as well in whole order to inspire and elicit honest expres- sion. For me this has brought about an increased sense of affirmation and valida- tion, my two personal buzzwords for the fall. Coming out takes on a whole new significance when viewed in the context of Rita Mae's words, for it signals a return to humanity for many of us, a positive recon~ nection to the world at large which can only be achieved through honesty and trust. You can see it as political activism if you want, but for me, coming out will always remain a spiritual rebirth, an acceptance of an abil- ity to love given from a Higher Source than ourselves. That may sound New Age to you, but it's been around for a while and has been rediscovered time and again through all the ages. Lastly, such a "contract of truth" speaks to issues of censorship in ways that few phrases can. No self-proclaimed "free" society should abide censorship, nor should it abide those who abuse the free- dom of speech guaranteed by documents such as the Bill of Rights. When language is viewed as a "contract of truth," there is an implicit responsibility both to speak and to listen with respect for whatis true. That's no small challenge, but it does urge us to consider all viewpoints and to work toward understanding the necessity for those vari- ous perspectives. As members of the gay, lesbian, and bisexual communities, we know what it is like to have others deny truths about us and in so doing block a more comprehensive understanding of basic emotions such as love and affection. By affirming the valid- ity of ourown experiences and expressions, we work toward the benefit of all society by restoring our common language to a state of ness and inclusiveness. 863-1884 187 ST PAUL STREET